Website designs are completed according to the specifications provided by the client on the initial quote request form and initial discussions during the process of quoting your individual project – so please be as specific as possible on the form for your design requirements. Communication regarding your project is a two-way street and we want to provide you with a final product that you are 100% satisfied with.
An estimated time completion on your project is based on the package type and starts from the date the deposit is made (this excludes weekends and US holidays). Payments are accepted online via PayPal or Google Checkout – you are not required to have a PayPal account in order to pay via credit card. We also provide billing via US Mail, if you prefer.
Project completion time is a rough estimation on the time frame – depending on the complexity of your individual request, the order may take a bit longer. We will give you an estimated completion time on your project at the time of your order. We strive to accomplish it sooner than that, however we do have a very active project calendar – and once payment is made, your project is placed in that queue for completion. Our payment terms are typically 50% up front, upon execution of our agreement – with the remaining 50% due just prior to launch of your new web site on your domain.
Due to the current demand for our services, we will not consider any “Rush” orders without a 50% markup on the original design fees – this increase in fees makes up for the overtime required in order to complete a “Rush” order in the time frame you require.
The following are steps we take in your blog design or website design process once your project payment has been received:
- Development of the overall concept and layout of your design work, based on the specifications you have given to us in the order form you filled out. This phase may also require further communication with you to nail down all of the specifics or clarify anything we may have questions on.
- Creation of the custom graphics that make up the foundation of your blog design, including the header graphics, any navigational graphics, button, banners, etc.
- Creation of a graphical mock up of the design work they have completed for your project. A maximum of two design concepts (the original plus one other, if needed) of the graphic composition will be included at no extra cost to create the visual look and feel that is desired. The original graphic mock up is created based on the specifications that you have provided to us in your original order form. A second mock up can either build and expand upon the concepts presented, or you can request a completely different look than the one we originally presented.
- It is important to know that our designers create your design based on the specifications you’ve provided to us (i.e. color scheme, number of columns in the layout, use of artwork/imagery, etc) – so it is important for you to be as specific as possible in your original request so that we are able to provide you with just the look you’re going for. Further revisions may incur additional fees.
- Creation of the custom style sheet (CSS) that makes up the foundation of the format and layout of your blog/site design
- At this point, the graphic design phase is complete and the really fun part begins! Putting the graphics and code together to make it a fully functional WordPress site. (At this point of the project, if you require further revisions to the graphic design work that you did not mention earlier, the project may be subject to additional fees).
- We perform the above phase on a development domain that we own. We use that domain to work on client projects. On the estimated completion date of your project, you will receive an email from your designer with that domain information and necessary login information so that you can login and review your design work. The project will be a fully functional blog set up for you to review in a ‘live’ environment, click around and see how the different elements work (and look) together.
- Once we have received final approval from you on the your new theme – we will then install the custom blog design or website design on your domain for you. After that is completed, we review the work with you and when you’ve given the final OK, you will then receive a “Project Sign Off” notice from us with all the notes and instructions you will need to utilize your templates.
- Minor updates and changes to your project is allowed for up to three (3) days from the completion of the site (this includes up to a half-hour per page total). Minor updates, changes, modifications and/or revisions to the website after the 3 day period will may incur additional fees.
- Training for use in your site is based on the package you purchased. Additional education and consultation is billed at our normal hourly rate.
Pre-sales phone consultations regarding your site plans and design are available. Due to the sheer volume of requests for consults, the fee for the phone consultation is $100.00 and covers up to one hour of consultation time. The phone consultation fee will be deducted from your overall project fee, should you decide to give CDG Marketing & Web Design the honor of designing your new site. If you choose not to have CDG design your project, the phone consultation fee is non-refundable. Please indicate on your order form that you would like a pre-sales phone consultation.
Your template will be tested for compatibility in the following browsers:
- Internet Explorer
- Mozilla Firefox
- Opera
- Safari
- Netscape
Template designs are tested both on the Windows PC and Mac operating systems. We do not code for browsers older than the current release. In addition, we do not code for browsers still in Beta testing.
Any changes to the theme (beyond true bugs) after the approved, final product is launched on your site will incur additional fees. Minor changes will be considered without charge – we can talk about it at the time of implementation. Requested changes/modifications that were not included in the original quote will incur our hourly fee for completion.
Additional fees, after the final launch, will be incurred for future requests if:
- Your theme breaks after an upgrade to the software you are using.
- You add new plugins or features to your site that weren’t included in the original project
- A new browser upgrade breaks your theme (i.e. a browser version that didn’t exist during the creation of your theme).
- You’ve made changes or alterations to the code
- Your site gets hacked, or otherwise compromised and you’ve lost your theme files due to a lack of backups
Most of the images used in our site designs are obtained from free stock photo/imagery websites that allow a royalty free license; or from stock photography/illustration sites where the original image is purchased with a limited license – the cost of which is included in the quote we’ve provided to you, up to $20 per project – any imagery fees beyond that will be billed to the client at the start of the project.
Use of any non-licensed imagery is the sole responsibility of the client. Clients who provide images to us for use in their project assume risk of liability for use of those images. When in doubt, contact the original artist of the image for permission before providing it for us to use in your design project.
In regards to custom graphic and logo work you’ve purchased through CDG Marketing & Web Design (this refers to non-stock art, royalty free images from outside sources) – we consider our relationship a “work for hire” situation and transfer the rights to use the custom graphic images however you want. (Most designers do quite the opposite, and retain the ownership of their designs.)
It is the sole responsibility of the client to obtain support from the software company for the software program you are using to power your WordPress site. CDG does not provide ongoing technical support. We will be happy, however, to provide you with useful links to the software’s knowledge base, support forums or other online documentation that may be helpful in getting you started using the blog software you have chosen. One-on-one training sessions can be arranged with our staff, if needed, billed at an hourly rate. In rare cases, we are also able to provide on-site training to your company and/or staff, if necessary. Please inquire about our training services.
When clients contact us for WordPress installation and set up, we assume that the client has already researched the requirements for running that WordPress on their server. If you are unsure whether your hosting company is compatible with WordPress, or if you don’t yet have a hosting company, please let us know and we’ll be happy to advise you.
CDG Marketing & Web Design does provide hosting services that do meet the requirements for WordPress – please inquire about those services if you require them.
Client assumes all responsibility for their files and templates. While we do our best to try to keep a back up copy of your files, it is your responsibility to backup your files and templates in case of emergency. Backup service is offered as part of Elite Website Plan and is available as an extra feature on our other plans.
We will provide you with a zip file of the final templates and themes at the time of your project completion. Armed with that file, you will be able to restore your site design to its original state, should anything go terribly wrong.
You are welcome to use the themes you purchase and we create for you to learn from and create additional themes on your site only.
When you purchase a site design from CDG Marketing & Web Design – it is licensed for use on one domain only. The licensing of your template does not cover use on other domains and it is not available for redistribution or resale in any way, shape, or form. If you decide you’d like to use the theme on another, or several other, domains – please let us know and we will provide a quote on the additional licensing.
Our templates are not available for you to reuse, or resale, for profit in any way.
Once clients receive the notification that their project is complete – minor updates and changes to existing web site can be made for up to three (3) days prior to completion of the blog design or website (this includes up to a half-hour per page total), so please get back to us as soon as possible with any questions or minor modifications you may need.
Additionally, because we develop your site in a live environment on a development domain on our servers – full testing in an optimal environment has already been done prior to final launch on your site. We do understand that not every environment is the same – to that end, we do schedule the final launch with you at a mutually agreed upon time that is convenient for both parties, so please be sure to schedule this time with us at a time that we are able to fully test it in your environment, with your content.
CDG Marketing & Web Design reserves the right to use project details for promotional material, our portfolio and project case studies for education, training and promotional reasons.
Once we begin work on your project, refund requests, for any reason, will be pro-rated in order for CDG Marketing & Web Design to retain fees for work that has already been completed up until the time of your requested project termination. Refunds will be considered on a case-by-case basis and we make every effort to work with you to ensure that payment terms and refunds are handled fairly and in a timely manner.
